Vonn has ninth operation after Olympic crash

American skier Lindsey Vonn has had her ninth operation after breaking a leg and ankle in a crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to the BBC, the 42-year-old uploaded a video on social media before the procedure. She stated in the video that she was praying it would be her last operation.

The New York Post reported that Vonn felt 'nervous and anxious' for the ninth surgery. She also shared in her video that she was 'excited to hopefully put it behind me.' According to the BBC, Vonn explained that surgeons would remove all of the hardware installed during eight previous procedures to repair her anterior cruciate ligament.

Vonn stated before the procedure, according to the BBC, 'I'm doing this beforehand because I'm actually getting pretty nervous about it.' She added, 'On the day of, I'm going to be focused and rested and trying to get through it.' Vonn also noted that she had been waiting all nine months for her bones to heal so they could fix the ACL, and shared that her bones did heal.

According to the BBC, Vonn noted that having the ACL repaired now means another six to nine months of recovery. While racing in the Olympic downhill in Cortina nine days after rupturing ligaments in her left knee, Vonn struck a gate and crashed 13 seconds into her run. The 2010 Olympic downhill champion previously revealed the operations had meant she did not have to have her leg amputated.

Regarded as one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, Vonn retired in 2019 after suffering numerous leg injuries. She made a shock return in 2024 following a partial right knee replacement. Vonn has won 84 World Cup races, placing her second on the all-time women's list behind compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin.